Process for reenforcing thin metal



E. M. ATKINSON.

PROCESS FOR REENFORCING THlN METALf APPLICATION FILED AUG.3, 1920.

Q Patented Feb. 21, 1922.

PROCESS FOR REENFORGING THEN METAL.

menses.

Specification. of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 21, 1922.

Application filed August 3, 1920. Serial No. 400,863.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD M. rJrnrNsoN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Portland, in the county of Multnomah and State of Oregon, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes for lrieinforcing Thin Metal; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

This invention. relates to a new and improved process for reenforcing thin sheet metal and the product thereof. The main. object of this invention is the provision of a process for reenforoing and stiffening thin" metal, suchas tin plate, by means of afiiX- ing to the face of said sheet metal strands of wire either in angular form or straight, said wires'to be attached to the face of the sheet metal at suitable distances.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an improved process for reenforcing and stiffening light sheet metal so that this sheet metal can be used for various purposes and still retain its original shape, thereby decreasing the use of a heavier class of sheet metal and providing a more readily handled material at a minimum cost.

A still further object of this invention is the provision of means for holding the edges of sheet tin or other thin metallic material in their original flat, or other shapes, as desired to prevent the edges of the metal from being bent out of shape while in use.

Heretofore, in the construction of thin metal products, it has been. common to stiffen the thin metal sheets such as tin plate, tin collars and various forms of thin sheet metal when worked up in utilizers and appliances by bending or crimping the edges of sheet metal. This process of so bending the edges is difficult of performance particularly to keep the sheet metal in flat or true form, as the bending or crimping of the edges tends to stretch parts of the metal and cause warping of the surface and is particularly difficult on the inner edge of collars.

With the above and other objects in view. the invention consists in the novel features of construction, the combination and arrangement of parts. hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in the claims and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan View of a collar con structed in accordance with my improved 7 process,

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view,

Figure 3 is a top plan view of a cover reenforced by bent wire, and

Figure st is a transverse sectional view of Figure 3.

In carrying out my improved process, I have illustrated in Figure l a flat piece of thin sheet metal cut into the form of a collar 1 and reenforced with a round wire 2 of any suitable diameter suflicient to maintain the sheet in a flat condition on its top. It will be noted that the wires are attached to the sheet by soldering or other desired means and the outside edge of the wire which is arranged adjacent the outer edge of the collar is preferably flush with the outer edge or rim of the collar and the wire which encircles the collar at its central opening has its outer periphery arranged flush with the inner edges of the opening in the collar, whereby to securely reenforce the thin edges of the sheet metal and prevent them from being bent out of shape when in use, thus eliminating the necessity of bending over or crimping the edges of the sheet metal to reenforce the same.

In Figure 3, I have illustrated my improved reenforcement as attached to a finished product in the form of a cover i having attached near its outer rim on the under side thereof a suitable sized wire 5 arranged in a series of convolutions with the extend ing folds thereof alternately bent downwardly into V-shaiped form, as shown at 6, to provide a flange for retaining the cover in position when placed upon a vessel. The straight portions between the V-shaped folds are flattened against the under surface of the cover and suitably attached theret by soldering or any other desired means. It will be noted that when the straight portion 7 and the folds are arranged in position, the outside edge of the wire will be disposed flush with the rim of the cover so that the convolutions form not only a reenforcement for the cover, but a flange as Well.

The material used in the reenforcementwires may be of any desired degree of stiffness so that a wire f comparatively small diameter will be suflicient to supply the desired rigidity to the tin plate or cover or other sheet metal to which they may be attached.

The wires, as afixed to cover 4 are shown bent into the particular form suitable for the cover, but I do not limit my invention to this particular form as various bends or convolutions may be adopted for varying forms or uses to Which the sheet metal may be applicable. In reenforcing various articles with wires, the edges of'the various forms may be stiffened as in cases of a straight edge terminating and converging into a circular line, the wires may be bent to uphold the angular edges, Whereas the same formation of edge could not be turned by machinery or satisfactorily crimped.

What I claim is:

1. The process of reenforcing sheet metal including the connecting of wires to the sheet metal, said Wires having alternate portions conforming to the surface of the sheet 7 and V-shaped portions disposed at right angles to the portions secured to the sheet as and for the purpose set forth. I

2. The process of reenforcing sheet metal including the connecting of wires to the sheet meta-l portions of said Wire being flattened against he undersurface of the cover and connected thereto and the remaining portions of the wire between the flattened portionsbeing bent into V-shaped folds and extended at right angles to thevsheet metal to provide a flange disposed at right angles to the metal as and for the purpose set/forth.

In testimony whereof I aflix'my signature.

EDWARD M. ATKINSON. 

